Merchandise display device



March 8, 1960 L. MOGRAW 2,927,699

- MERCHANDISE DISPLAY DEVICE v w I Filed March so, 1959 zrzdenar" 7 Za a k/Jc' Qraz @y P tent 2,927,699 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY DEVICE Lon McGraw, San Fernando, Calif., asslgnor to Glen Raven of California, San Fernando, Calif., a corporation of California Application March so, 1959, Serial No. 802,837

4 Claims. 01. 211-51 This invention relates to display holders for merchandise and particularly to a form thereof suitable for holding merchandise of the form contained-in envelopes or similar fiat packages.

varies due to customer selection and repletion of merchandise.

Another object of the invention is to provide a merchandise displaying and holding means in which the foregoing objectives are realized in practice, and which is of neat and unobtrusive appearance with resultant concentration of customer attention on the merchandise displayed thereby.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mercha'ndise displaying and holding means of simple construction and neat, unobstrusive appearance which is particularly adapted for holding and displaying a quantity of articles of merchandise contained in envelopelike containers and which readily permits customer selection and removal of articles of merchandise from the quantity contained therein, without disturbing the remaining articles.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example, in the following specification of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view partly in section of a representative unit embodying the present invention, the merchandise being omitted therefrom,

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view but showing a quantity of merchandise contained in the device,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged scale end elevational view of the device with the merchandise contained therein, as viewed, for example, from the right hand end of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the device shown in the preceding paragraphs with the component parts displayed in the approximate relation they occupy in the assembled device. 7

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a base or back member 1 presenting a vertical front face; said back member being formed of rigid material which may be liardboard, plywood or even plastic, the size preferably being at least the size of the articles of merchandise in plan although as will be discussed hereinafter and as will be then apparent this back member may be of much larger size containing pluralities sets of the other 2,927,699 Patente ice , prising a generally horizontal portion 3, a rearward vertically extending flange portion 4 adapted to be secured to the back member 1 by any suitable means as, for example, screws 5, 5 passing therethrough and threadedly engaging the front face of the back member 1. Forwardly spaced from this flange member 4, the bottom member 2 includes a vertically extending front member 6 which extends upwardly parallel to the back member 1-, the upper edge thereof being somewhat below the upper edge of the envelopes of merchandiseM supported thereon. The front portion 6 additionally has openings 7, 7 extending therethrough disposed in axial alignment with the screws 5, 5 through which access may be had for assembling the bottom member 2 to the back member 1. It will be noted in Fig. 3 that in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the underside of the bottom portion 3 of the member 2 is flush with the bottom edge of :the member 1 whereby the device may be placed on a counter or the like for easy access to the merchandise by customers.

The merchandise M is held against movement horizontally edgewise by a retainer member 8 formed of a small metal rod, said rod being fiattened'at its mid-length portion as at 9 and provided with a hole through the fiattened portion for reception of a screw 10 to secure it to the front face of the back member 1 at an elevation which is slightly below the upper edge of the envelopes of merchandise. The opposite ends of the rod 8 are bent on themselves in return bend loops 11, 11 and the ends of the rod are also flattened asat 12, 12 said flattened portions being provided with holes for reception of screws 13, 13 which secure the ends of the rod 8 to the back member 1 below the mid portion of the rod and slightly member 1 by a resilient spring 15 formed of a length.

of spring wire having looped ends 16, 16 which are disposed between the ends 12, 12 of the rod 8 and the front face of the back member 1 and through which the screws 13, 13 extend to secure both the rod 8 and the spring element 15 to the back member 1. The shape of the spring member 15 can best be described by saying that the length of wire is initially bent into V-shape with the apex 17 thereof at the mid-length of the wire. The ends of the spring thence extend upwardly, divergingly over the portion of the rod 8 extending between the flattened portion 9 thereof and the adjacent bends 14, 14

therein and the spring 15 thence extends downwardly in rear of the front portion 6 of the bottom member 2, wherefor the apex portion 17 is constantly exerting an outward movement toward the inner face of the front portion 6 and therefor acting constantly to hold the envelopes of merchandise against the rear face of the front portion 6 of the bottom member 2 as best shown in Fig. 3. It will be apparent that by this configuration this spring member 15 can yieldingly hold a varying number of envelopes of merchandise varying from a quantity which will cause the apex portion 17 to be in substantial contact with the back member 1 to a single envelope and that these envelopes, whether one or many, will be mainwhile permitting ready removal of any one of them by a purchaser. At the same time, the ends 11, 11 of the rod member 8 serve to hold the envelopes of merchandise against lateral displacement. It is particularly to be noted as b st shown in Fig. Z'that the displ y device m n a ns the m rshaad s played with emphasis being placed'uponthe merchandise itself, the portions of the device exposed to view being relatively unobtrusive. It will further be apparent that while the back member 1 as here shown accommodates o y a single set of h chan ise ho din parts, a. larger back member may be employed to carry a plurality of sets Of such parts in any spaced relation desired.

While in the foregoing specification there has been disclosed'a presently preferred embodiment of the invention; it is appreciated that in the light of such disclosure, hanges and modifieations will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is not to be in- {erred that the invention is limited to the embodiment thus disclosed by way of the sample and it will be understood that the invention includes as well all such changes and modifications in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come w th n the p i of he ppen d a ms- I claim:

1. A display holder for articles of merchandise con tained in envelope-like containers comprising a rigid back member presenting a vertical front face, a bottom, merchandise supporting member formed of rigid sheet ma- "filial comprising a vertically extending rear flange portion secured to said front face of saidback member, a forwardly extending merchandise supporting portion and an upwardly extending front portion spaced forwardly from and disposed parallel to said front face of said back member, means for preventing edgewise lateral movement of merchandise envelopes on said horizontal portion of said bottom member comprising a rod having ahorizontal portion secured to said back member above said hori- Qntal portion of said bottom member and including portions thence extending horizontally forwardly at each side of said bottom member, and spring means secured to said back member constructed and arranged to yielditt lv ain ain he a c f merchandise. i en emen with each other and pressed against the rear. surface of said. fro or on a said, bot m me r a A di l y liolt s for me ch di e s c aimed claim lia hish staging m ans ta sa rad m r. serve additionally to satire said spring means to said front face of said back member.

3. A display holder for articles of merchandise contained in envelope-like containers comprising a rigid back member presenting a vertical front face, a bottom, merchandise supporting member formed of rigid sheet matfirial d compri n n u wardly ex end ng e flange portion secured to'said front face of said back member, a forwardly, horizontally entending merchandise supporting portion and an upwardly eiitending front portion spaced forwardly from and disposed parallel to said front face of said back mem er. m ans t prev n in edc lateral movement of mer handise envelopes supported on said horizontal portion of said bottom member comprising a rod having a horizontal mid-length portion secured at the mid-length thereof to said back member above the P ane Qtsa d, h riz nta p ion; of Sa d bot om he and n lud nserd PQITfiQll exten in o w rdly and h nce d wnwardly and rea wa tllv in return b nds dis:

posed at each side of said bottom member above the horizonta Porti n. o s id bott m mem r nd m n s in orizon a a e a l extend n ends secur by GFQW to sa d front fas a s id. ba k m b r, n p n me ns sewed q ta d b is ember mpr s ng a sin l vl th. at Wire d ubled on elf and having i s nds c e to sa d ck, m mb nd a in h d uble n her of disposed to urge ar ic es of mer h n s supp t d n, sa d ho zon a por i of i o m mem e into engagement with each other and against the rear fa e o sai fr nt c ti im s d b t m msm r- A mer h ndi e dis la h der s cla med n claim 3 in whi h sa d prin msaa qom isss a l n th o s .a ir bea on t s t at. its m d l n th it} V wafisuta taii and havin ssrew rsssi ias loo s (ash end thsrset said loops being entered by the screws which secure said end o said mil o s d from tae o aid ack m and said. wi e h 6 1d. 2 up ardl over he r ntal m d-len th P i. as at watti v n r ar o aid ront 129. b??

he d ot an thence down .1 at said o om mew mama 1 229 9 3 1 1 

